Improved grain-elevator



A. B. NIMBS; GRAIN ELEVATOR. No. 45,337.

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Patented. Dec. 6, 1864.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. B. NIMBS, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

IMPROVED GRAIN-ELEVATOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,337, dated December 6, 1864.

full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

These improvements relate to the mechanism by which the elevator-leg is suspended and its movements controlled. They are designed for, and the drawings represent their application to, the floating grain-elevator, for which Letters Patent were granted to me August 12,1862, but they are also applicable to other elevators, either floating or stationary.

The nature of the invention consists, first,

in suspending the elevating-leg in a movable frame-work or carriage, by means of which it may be moved outward horizontally to such distance as will enable it to enter the hatch of the vessel to be unloaded at such angle as will cause the elevating-buckets to work most effectually; second, in the application of a rack and pinion for the purpose of raising and lowering the leg; third, in controlling the inclination of the elevating-leg to the perpendicular by the action of a pinion upon a gear-segment connected to or formed upon one end of the guiding jaws or frames between which it moves.

For a description of the hull, receivingbins, weighing-scales, driviilggear, &c., reference is made to the before-mentioned patent.

Figure I is a front elevation of my improve ments. Fig. II is a side elevation of same. Fig. III is a top plan of frame-work, stationary upon the turn-table, and also of the movable elevator-carriage; and Fig. 1V is a plan of stationary frame-work and machinery on turn table.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

A represents an elevatorleg of common construction. The journal-boxes in which the shaft of the head-pulley runs are bolted to the head part of the leg and sustained thereby. The shaft projects through on one side and carries the driving-pulley A.

B B represent the grooved jaws or frames between which the elevator-leg is placed, and Which serve as supports and guides to the leg in its movements. They are hung upon a 1 shaft, 1), supported by the upright posts 0 of the movable elevator-carriage. consist of a rectangular frame of wroughtiron, and are of sufficient length to give a firm lateral support to the leg. A longitudinal groove is formed in each side piece of each frame or jaw into which the parallel tongues b secured longitudinaly to each side of the front and back trunks of the leg, fit so that as the leg is raised or lowered between the jaws the tongues slidein the grooves, and hold and guide the leg in its movement. The

bolts If, passing through between the back and front trunks of the leg. The length of ,l the tongues I) is governed by the required movement of the leg through the jaws.

The movable carriage by which thelegis run out horizontally consists of the upright posts (J U, (at the upper end of which are formed thejournal-bearings in which the shaft 11, supporting thejaws B B, is held,) the horizontal timbers O O,'into which the posts 0 G are framed, and the braces 0 G 1) D represent a frame-work raised upon the turntable D, which turn-table is supported and operated the same as described in the bei fore-mentioned patent. Themovable carriage O O C is supported by this frame-work, the bottom horizontal timbers, U, of the carriage being made to coincide with the top horizontal timbers of the frame-work D D, said timbers extending outboard over the turn-table and strongly braced so as to form a track upon which the movable carriage runs. Frictionrollers O are interposed to render the movement of the carriage easy. The rollers O 0, placed at the tail of the movable frame, run under the timbers d belonging to the stationary frame-work D D, and prevent the carriage from tipping up under the weight of the elevator-leg.

E represents a rack equal in length to the 1 distance it is required to raise and lower the elevator-leg, secured to the inside of the front trunk of said leg, and E is a pinion keyed upon the suspension-shaft b, which gears with the rack and by its revolution raises the leg through the jaws B B. Motion is given to the shaft b and pinion E, as follows F is a bevel spur-wheel keyed on the shaft 1), which gears with the bevel spur-wheel F They each two jaws are connected firmly together b v on the end of the vertical shaft F F is a bevel-gear on the lower end of the vertical shaft F which gears with the bevel-wheel F keyed on the horizontal shaft F The vertical shaft F has its bearing at the top in a crosspiece between the posts 0 O of the movable carriage and at the bottom in a foot-step sustained on a cross-piece between said posts. The horizontal shaft F is parallel to the line of motion of the movable carriage, and has its bearings at each end on said carriage.

F is abevel-wheel keyed on the end of shaft E, which shaft runs at right angles to the horizontal shaft F in journal-boxes bolted to the timbers d belonging to the stationary frameing it out of gear with the bevelwheel F. A

groove is formed in the hub of the bevelwheel E, into which aforked arm, F bolted to the stationary frame-work, enters, and, while allowing said wheel to revolve freely, prevents it from being carried along with the shaft F when moving out or in.

G is the line-shaft, supported by the back posts of the frame-work .l) D, from which all the machinery for operating the elevator-leg is driven. It receives its motion as described in the before-mentioned patent.

F is a pulley on the shaft F", driven from the pulley F on the line-shaft G by the belt F It runs loose upon its shaft, but is provided with a sliding clutch, F", of common construction, by which it may be thrown into gear with its shaft and give motion thereto. The clutch is operated by the clutch-lever F Motion being given to shaft F by throwing the pulley E into gear therewith, it is communicated through the train of gears just described (whatever may be the position of the movable carriage) to the suspension-shaft b, carrying the pinion E, and said pinion acting on the rack E, secured to the leg, moves the leg upward through the jaws.

It is evident that the weight of the leg is supported horizontally on the under side of the carriage-frame, and the pinion H being keyed upon a shaft, H which has its hearings on the under side of the timbers of the framework D D. Motion is given to this shaft and pinion in either direction, as it may be desired to run the carriage out or in by means of the loose pulleys H H on the shaft H driven in opposite directions by the belts H H (one open and'the other crossed) from the pulleys H H, keyed upon the line-shaft G, they (the loose pulleys) being provided with a sliding double-clutch, by which either pulley (according to the direction it is desired to move the carriage) may be thrown into gear with and drive the pinion, the action of which on the rack will give the desired motion of the carriage.

I is a pinion on a shaft, i, having hearings bolted near their bottom to the posts 0 of the carriage. This pinion gears with the segmentgear 1 formed on or bolted to the lower end of one of the jaws B, and its revolution by means of the winch-handle I causes thejaws to swing upon their suspension-shaft b in a manner to vary the inclination of the elevatorleg as desired.

J represents a hinged spout connected to the head of the elevator-leg, which may be raised or lowered by means of the rope J when the elevator is run out or in on its carriage, so

as to maintain a proper connection between the elevator-head and receiving-spout K.

L represents the driving elevator-belt, and L tension-pulleys by which the slack occasioned by the movement of the leg is taken up and the belt kept taut.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. suspending the elevatorleg in a movable carriage, G 0 C by means of which it may be moved outboard horizontally or returned inboard, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Raising and lowering the elevator-leg by means of rack E and pinion E, substantially as described.

3. Controlling the inclination of the elevatorleg by means of the pinion I and gear-segment 1 the gear-segment being formed on or bolted to the end of one ofthe jaws B, substantiall y as and for the purpose described.

A. B. NIMBS. Witnesses:

Gno. W. WALLACE, W. H. FoRBUsH. 

